Every day of the Six Days of Ghent, the main programme includes the Elimination race, the Scratch race, Madison and a lap time trial. The elite men are in action every day, on Wednesday there’s the Para races and in the weekend, the elite women also compete. Some of the races include the Derny race where riders follow a pedalled motorbike around the track and reach incredible speeds.
How does it work?
The Ghent Six Day runs for six days, with the racing starting on Tuesday and finishing on Sunday. The racing goes on into the late hours of one or two in the morning and 6 pm on Sunday.
The competition is based on scoring points. The first 5 riders on sprints get points and you lose points for being lapped and you score points for lapping the field. Points are double on the final lap. For every 100 points scored, the team is given a free lap. You can tell it’s a sprint lab by the bell.
The most important event is the Madison. Two riders work as a team and they take turns to ride. Whilst one rider is resting, the other tries to ride as many laps as possible. Extra points can be earned by winning the intermediate sprints.
The Derny events are very popular. Each team chooses one rider who rides behind a Derny, a light motorbike. Riders reach incredible speeds during the 60 laps. The rider who crosses the line first wins.
